Bomberman Blast Review

Of all well-known videogame characters, Bomberman has got to be the one who has stayed the closest to his roots. Almost every single Bomberman game features the exact same goal: grab power-ups, avoid the blasts of your opponents' (and your own!) bombs and then blow them up! While some early games expanded on this, for example by including a story mode, only recently has Bomberman strayed away from bomb-laying madness, with largely superfluous mini game collections on the Wii and DS. But with this WiiWare title, he’s most definitely gone back to his roots.

Bomberman Blast was originally going to be a retail game. Featuring a completely new story mode, much like the older games, plus an 8-player online battle mode, it looked as if Hudson was trying to please the older fans. They also planned to release the battle mode separately on WiiWare, for those who were not interested in the story mode (WiiWare game owners would also be able to play against owners of the retail game). Sadly, the retail game fell through for Europe and North America, which means that you can only get the battle mode portion of the game on WiiWare. Lucky Japanese gamers will still get the full blown version, it seems.

If you’ve ever played a Bomberman battle mode, you know what to expect: there’s a big grid-like arena filled with blocks. Your objective is to clear a way through the blocks using bombs, eventually finding your way to opponents and blowing them up to defeat them. The blocks between intersections cannot be destroyed – every other block can, and, aside from clearing a path, will possibly reveal a power-up. Unlike most previous games, in which the maximum number of players was 4, you can play with up to 8 people here: as in 5-player TurboGrafx-16 games on the Virtual Console, this is done by using 4 Wii remotes and connecting 4 GameCube controllers. The fun doesn’t end there, however, as you can play the game with your favourite Mii avatar, rather than a Bomberman, although this feature has to be unlocked (It'll come rather fast however).

Aside from classic power-ups like the red flame icon (blast radius increase), the curse (random temporary negative effect, can be spread to other players) and the boot (lets you kick bombs), there’s a few new ones, activated by shaking the Wii remote. If you grab a shield, you can block blast fire, if you have a rocket you can lift off to avoid a blast, and if you have a bomb change, you can disguise as a bomb!

Aside from more normal power-ups such as the above, there are also a few more elusive ones that actually change your bomb type. None of these are new: you’ve probably seen the Jelly Bomb (bounces around randomly) and Mines (disappear underground) before, among others. It appears the Remote Bomb has been excised from this instalment, as it would be too powerful!

The stages have all had a massive overhaul. The regular old “Classic” stage, with its green floor and gray blocks, is still the same as always. Other stages will heavily affect the gameplay, however. Some of them simply have additional obstacles to watch out for, but others actually influence the players. The “Hyper Feet” stage, for example, starts all players off at maximum speed, meaning it’ll be very hard to keep track of what’s happening! There are a total of 10 stages to pick from this time, of which 2 have to be unlocked. All stages also have a “large” and “small” version, for those who prefer things even more hectic!

Of course, the regular battle mode alone won’t cut it – so there’s a bunch of new game modes as well. In Air Raid, nobody can lay bombs. The objective, instead, is to run around dodging the bombs that rain from the sky! After they land you have a few seconds to find a safe spot (the ground is covered in markers revealing where the fire will spread). Of course the objective here is to be the last man standing!

In ‘King’ mode, the gameplay is reminiscent of ‘King of the Hill’ seen in many other games. Players compete to grab a crown in the centre of the arena, after which they attempt to be the one holding it when the time runs out. Simply touching the person with the crown will not let you steal it: tou have to hit him with a blast to knock it off. Getting hit by a blast at any time here will never kill you.

Some other old features return as well. For example, if the remaining time begins to run low, indestructible blocks will gradually begin to fall down, filling up the whole arena. If the match isn’t ended before the time is up, you’ll get squashed! The popular ‘Revenge Mode’ is also back: any players who are killed will be able to pilot a machine around the edges of the arena, throwing bombs (with the smallest possible blast radius) to harass the remaining players.

Obviously this review can’t end without talking about the online mode, which has all the features of normal multiplayer, including the ability to play against a maximum of 7 opponents. Before each match, every player votes on the mode they would like to play, followed by the arena, the one with the most votes winning. Sadly, at the moment not a single person seems to want to play anything except ‘Classic’ mode on the Classic stage, but hopefully this will change over time. You can also go online with 3 friends playing on the same console: a nifty feature some other recent games have done as well.

The only real downer in this game is that none of the classic Bomberman music is there. Instead Hudson opted to use Bomberman Generation music! Having put so much effort in making everything else as classic as possible, we can’t imagine why Hudson would do this.

Conclusion

If you don’t own an Xbox 360 and are a fan of Bomberman, you must have been slightly jealous for a while now. Bomberman Live, a downloadable title on the system, also features 8-player online Bomberman action. Your misery ends now, however, because Bomberman Blast captures mostly everything Bomberman Live has, and adds some excellent new content into the mix. It’s been a long time since we got some classic Bomberman action on a Nintendo console, but it’s back now, and possibly better than ever.

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User Comments (137)

Loved the subtitle for the review. This sounds essential. Even thoguh i have the 360 game, i'd still get this as my 360 isn't regularly available to me, the Mii support and online multiplayer. Plus, i love Bomberman, i even bought the DS RPG Game

I just had a couple of games of countdown online and I really am not fond of that game mode, basically just a glorified version of tag were cheap tactics can win a match. 2 of the stages were unlockable? I didn't notice that when playing them all for all 10 were just there anyway as I went through them. The dodgebomb game when waiting for matches is also pretty fun i think

Wasnt sure about this as im not a huge fan really of bomberman but this looks good especially playin 3 other mates online. Will get this when i get some more points hopefully next week. Thanks for the review.

I am going to be buying a wii point card for this and gradius rebirth. However, it seems kind of odd to release a game about bombs and explosions the day after 9/11. >_> Then again, its not like this was released in America so I guess its alright.

Yay, just bought some Wii points cards (by buying Guitar Hero DS for £12 at Morrisons and subsequently trading it in for £19 at Game), and after my younger sister finishes torturing me for deleting My Aquarium, this will be an essential purchase.

Great review Drake! Since If I didn't already own the Xbox 360 Live Arcade version, I'd probably pick this one up. In truth, about the only Bomberman game I still play with any type of frequency nowadays is the Sega Saturn rendition.

Its probably an awesome online game but my WIFI is spotty so if it doesnt really have single player (worth $10) I'll probably pass for now. I know theres offline multiplayer but my friends dont care for Bomberman

I am kind of doubting it but does anyone know which bomberman game I should get when this one comes out in NA? Blast or Live? I am kind of leaning towards blast right now since 8 people can play on the console at once and if I got live it would mean taking turns (which is annoying) but can one of you europeans list some comparision list or something?

I agree with the 8. Bomberman as a whole is just a mindless maze action title for multiple players and even as much fun as it is, I wouldn't slap higher than an 8 on it. Even the immaculate Saturn version probably wouldn't get a 9 out of me.

@Luke: Bomberman is really simple. Move using the D-Pad and press 2 to drop a bomb. This will explode and subsequently burn nearby blocks and nearby opponents (knocking them out). Items add depth, but can be wholly switched off in Blast. Whilst the newer one is more frantic and includes more multiplayer options, I would recommend the PC Engine / TG version for newcomers to break the ice. Once you've got used to it though, Blast is a sheer must-buy, and I would only advise buying the VC game if you have enough money for the new version afterwards.

@Pegasus: Worldwide, friend and continental matches are available online, so Americans can't get thrashed by the French on US launch.

@Corbie: me too, though I am edging on a seven due to the fact that its mostly the same battling but faster and busier. And with great local multiplayer and an ok online mode (WHY DON'T THEY CHOOSE STAGES OTHER THAN THE STANDARD ONE?). Plus, the UFO stage is brilliant when you get abducted. Oh, who am I kidding. This definitely deserves an eight!

Well, I got a bit of a kick out of Bomberman '93 by being able to have 5 people play at once, but with 8 in this one, I guess it's a must have! Although, it is a shame there is no longer a disc version.

I'm not saying the game didn't deserved an 8/10.. It's just the review itself barely stated any negative reasons why it was knocked down 2 levels on the grading scale. I would have given it a 8/10 personally (although it might have been a little biased).. I'm just wondering what gives the pin points of grading a specific game, specific scores (Other than opinions).

EDIT - To be honest: I might just be getting to confussing >_>Anyway, great review!!Can't wait for it to come out!

@Mario64DStyleThat's why I dropped the subject. I was trying to analyze the score on a technical level like how IGN says a game lost a point for slow load times or something like that. But then I realized that was over analyzing because the final score is not a scoreboard for the number of flaws a game has but how enjoyable it is.Good review, Drake!

I GOT BOMBERMAN BLAST!Since it got an 8, (hasnt been many 8's in a while), I knew it had to be good.Its going good so far.Infact brilliantly, its very fun!I might get plattchen depending on the review.How do you play as your mii on bomberman though?

I normally have a numerical score in my head before I even sit down to write out a review. I've normally taken a lot of notes while playing and have a pretty good idea of what I think of the game. When I write the review, I try to mention the most important aspects of the game, good and bad, that I think the readers should know about. Sometimes the good points seem more important and more worth mentioning and sometimes it's the other way around.

The truth is, Bomberman has been done many times over. It's still great and it's still fun, but even as great as the game might be, it's still basically a 20 year old rehash in many ways.

@ x/SuperMario.x - I was thinking about that the other night. While I look for Mega Man 9 to be fantastic, I'm still not sure if it will measure up to a 10. Giving a 10 out is a tough thing because you just don't know what else might come down the road that might blow it away. So it would have to be a really, REALLY great game to score a perfect 10.

I absolutely love this game, I downloaded it as soon as it became available and I would have only rated it a 7... mabey an 8 at a push.Its nothing against the game, in fact I will go as far as saying this is a must have wiiware game. Its just that Bomberman is always the same with one or two new additions and thats no bad thing. So no matter how perfect the game would be, just because its been done soooo many time before it would be almost impossible for it to get a perfect or near perfect score.

I agree with the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality, but sadly I'd be much more apt to give a more original presentation a higher score if it was just as much fun as something that had already been done many times before.

I know it doesn't always seem fair to judge games that way, but we sometimes do place a lot more emphasis on a game bringing new or original ideas to the table over just keeping a good thing rolling along.

I admire you Europeans , it's a shame we're getting Strongbad and not Bomberman on Monday(maybe both?. . .doubt it ), oh and I don't mean to offend any strongbad fans, not trying to bash the game, just a hxc Bomberman fan DX.

I agree that the Bomberman series is usually a "7" or "8" in the final ratings. I'm really glad that Bomberman Blast is still a whole lot of fun and I'll be downloading it when it's released in NA. Here's hoping that this game will be supported by DLC just like Bomberman Live for the 360.

To get use of your mii all you have to do is PLAY each stage once offline, you dont even have to win it either.The quickest way to do this is change it down to one easy opponent and only play for 1 round. then just play through stage 1 to 10 and your done, all eight of your profiles will be able to use mii's.

on a side note, im sure Hudson mentioned Tournaments before. I wonder if like Mario Kart they do them by invitation or some similar way. otherwise I wouldnt know how they can do it.

"With the release of Bomberman Blast on WiiWare, Hudson Entertainment will offer several online tournaments, including one that coincides with the game’s launch. For more information on the upcoming tournaments and to register, players can visit www.Hudsonentertainment.com" - quoted from Hudson Entertainment

I just don't get it. Had Bomberman Blast for North America came in retail version this would be instant buy for me. But the fact it's not coming in retail, the shockingly low score, and the 270 plus block I'm not really sure now.

@ Super SonicThe "low score" of 8 is just down to the fact that it is a well established game that follows the if it aint broke dont fix it philosophy. Had this been an original game the score would have been higher.

The online alone makes it a good wiiware purchase. Now its been out a couple of days its pretty easy to get into a 7-8 man battle. The options are pretty good as well giving the online extra legs. Dont be put off by the block size, price and score. It is at its heart a solid online/offline multiplayer game that is easy to pick up and play... all the things that made Mario Kart wii a must buy game.

This is such a fantastic game, and probably the definitive Bomberman (though I've always wanted to play the Sega Saturn version). I've had it for less than a day and have already racked up four-five hours! And I'm 50th on the leaderboard at the time of writing.

fast Nintendo Wi-Fi servers, you do not need much time to find opponents

pretty cool musics

very accurate and responsive gameplay in terms of controls

addictive, mostly thanks to the 8-player online mode

CONS

I find most of the stages pretty messy in terms of graphics. On my HDTV (480p), the blocks and floor textures are too sharp, which makes the gaming experience pretty confused at some point. In the previous editions of the game (including the Dreamcast one), you only had to focus on not being in the fireline + collect items. In this Wiiware version, you spend too much time wondering where you walk...

too many items ! Whether these are to upgrade or downgrade your skills, there are too many kinds of them and even worse, there are simply too many available during a game ! Your screen can quickly contain 30 items, some being power-ups, some power-downs, it spoils the pleasure. I feel like this bomberman is less about tactics, and more about chance and action...

All in all, I give it a 6/10. I need to spend more time on this title, but I am not THAT convinced it is such a good Bomberman.

Awesome Wiiware game. Good graphics, a lot of game modes, a lot of arenas, and very funny in multiplayer via Wi-fi. A must-have download, and very good value for money. Hudson, I want the retail version in Europe!!!!

@Holicool: Yes, you are right: there are too many items. It is because when a player dies, he leaves all his items. They should dissapear...

Either Hudson should release the retail version in Europe or at least have a DLC update for the other features such as My first Bommerman & Story mode... but I would still rather have a retail version. I know soooo many people who play Mario Kart wii online yet they never use the wii shop and therefore would never get the chance to play this unless it went retail.C'mon Hudson we know you will make the right choice

@ Mr ChippyConsidering as the retail game "Bomberman land" is only £17.99 and the wiiware version of the game cost the equivilant of £7.50 I wouldn't imagine them selling the game at a ridiculous high price.Price points for games like this are usually set between £19.99 up to £29.99 from the retailer that sells the game because like Nintendo stated they will not enforce price points unlike Sony and Microsoft leaving individual pricing down to the stores themselves.From what I have seen from the Japanese Screenshots the retail game looks fantastic and manages to cram even more options into the game.My argument for the retail version was that there are many people who I personally know who play wii games online yet never use wiiware (which is indeed sad) but who would be willing to buy a retail version of this game. I really think Hudson would clean up if they bring it out in time for Christmas.

I actually have Bomberman Land. I'd imagine this is better, though.But I admit that BLand's Battle Mode is very extensive and you're able to customize a lot more than Bomberman 93. But I can't help but feel Bomberman Land isn't the best purchase you could make...

Having downloaded this I am slightly disappointed, It is great to play online but offline it's a little dull, the stages aren't particularly interesting nor are the items. It's just a shame they didn't go down the mega man route and make it look like a snes game and use the spare memory to put in more content rather than just making everything 3D. I would have much preferred Super Bomberman 3 with an online mode tacked on.

I like all the modes of Bomberman Blast. Air Raid makes you panic alot but is alot of fun seeing everyone on WI-FI running around like headless chickens it's hilarious I just wish it was in NA then us Brits could give you Americans a boot up the butt, no offence.

Bomberman works nicely as a local multiplayer game but the online lag and random disconnects make me wonder if 1000 is bombermans right price. :S Don't get me wrong, i still play it online and have fun with it but it's really hard to find a room where i dont get randomly disconnected. Besides that my wii remote is kinda broken, so when i get a shake item i cant stop using it lol, its like i had super human stamina. xD

This game is great! My first Bomberman game (I've tried free ones on the web though) and after learning what all the items do, I've played online reeeeally much. By the way, has anyone tried King on Power Freaks? Madness and fun combined xD

@ Cheezy, to play as your mii all you have to do is try out each of the 10 stages offline. you dont even have to win them and you get away with only having to play each one once.

As far as lag and D/C goes ive found it easier to find Continental than I do Worldwide games and the only games that I have experienced lag and d/c have been worldwide so far.

@Star Dust... aww c'mon there is no need to dump Bomberman '93. Think of it this way 93 has the story mode with classic multiplayer mode and Blast has cool online features and better multiplayer modes. Best of both worlds. I have both sat on my wii menu at the mo.

for those who are still on the fence, i really do recommend this game. you can customize each game (ie: like brawl) including item drop frequencies, number of rounds and/or minutes, randomize/set start locations, pressurize blocks, poisons on/off, etc.

I finally got to buy this one along with a couple of VC games, I haven't had the chance to play it with my friends, but the online feature is just so great, it's not perfect, a disconnection now and then, but overall works fine; totally recomended!

After playing for a few days, my only complaint is the rankings system. I'm still scratching my head over how they award points (How can I win both rounds of King of the Hill and still end up in third place?!). The rank is based, not on your performance, but on the number of points you get. By this logic, I can consistently get 5th place, but play 24 hours a day, and still get pretty high on the list.

@naisatoh. Press A after a match is over. You can then see individual players and you can see place is one of the things that determines your score. Dying first for instance incurs a penalty whiel moving alot is a possitive aspect.

just wondering,wouldnt it be unfair for people who use the gamecube controller during local games with friends since they can't "shake" the gcn controller to use the shaking items?i know you can turn the items off but is there a way for gcn controller players to still use the items?like spinning the C stick or something?

@Anyone Who CaresDoes anyone else find the computers to be a bit cruel? I kick CPU ass on '93, but the opposite is true on this one. I have played probably 50+ matches on classic/normal mode with easy computers, and I have YET to win. Any suggestions? No pointing and laughing! You may laugh, but don't point at the same time!

@Clayfrd and Twilight CrowIf you want to win some easy matches, just play the "King" or "Countdown" modes. The CPUs are ridiculously stupid in these modes. In Countdown, just blow yourself up and pass the clock to a CPU. Most likely the computer won't even try to get revenge. In King, just grab the crown and run like heck. The computers don't even try to go after you. I don't like playing these modes myself just because it's cheap, but hey, if you want to ratchet up that record of yours, go for it.

I love this game, i bought it the other day and i and i am addicted. It takes a bit of practice to get passed the easy cpu's which are a bit hard. A great way to win, is on the one where it rains bombs, go into a corner with a freind, try to stay on the corner square, and keep your sheilds facing out on the onley 2 way you can get hit. This game is a mst have, but i wish there was someway to speak online so i can trash talk my oponents

I agree with the reviewer's score for this game. The game as a whole is great, but it has two problems: its online mode is kind of screwy and the game seems somewhat lacking. For the first problem, I've played online quite a bit and sadly I've come upon several hiccups (and these aren't just for me, everyone playing also gets disconnected). In one instance, most of the players were stuck walking INSIDE the walls around the stage. Yeah, it was humorous yet annoying.

I also say Bomberman is lacking because it's missing both a single-player mode and DLC. I know the retail version in Japan sports a single-player campaign, but I would've liked even a small single-player mode in the WiiWare version to give something meaningful for players to do in between sessions of mindless multiplayer. As for the DLC, that is kind of a no-brainer for me. Heck, imagine what it could've offered: new maps, new modes, new minigames before online play, etc. A huge missed oppurtunity in my opinion.

Bomberman is a great game for anyone who remotely enjoys its multiplayer, and I am thoroughly enjoying it; it's just not the definitive Bomberman game.

Great review Drake! I bought the game after an intense multiplayer session with friends on Bomberman '93. Although they prefer '93 oddly @Virus : I agree, the online does sorta suck. Haven't played the game in ages though. Makes me sad

After a few more weeks with it, I must comment about the online again. It truly is disappointing. While it is a heck of a lot of fun when you get a game or two working, it disconnects way too frequently and sometimes at the worst of times. For instance, after playing "Bomb Dodge" (or whatever it is called) for close to three minutes while waiting for a game, I was disconnected. In another instance I won the rounds and was prepared to save my points and head off when the game disconnected on the results screen before the awards ceremony. I lost all my recently-acquired points. While these occurances are frustrating enough, it became worse when I lost 1000 Bomber points just because the internet disconnected three times in a row. My internet connection is not poor, so this penalty angered me severely.

Ultimately, my message to those who have not yet bought the game but are thinking about it is that you have been warned about the WiFi. It is nowhere near perfect.

The question i have is, how does this stack up to Bomberman Live on the XBL? As an owner of all three current gen systems, I happen to be a proud owner of Bomberman live from the XBLA, as well as two of it's three expansions. Should I really dish out for another "Live" Bomberman? Is it necessary to have two?

If this isn't considerably better,w hich is unlikely since BL is gem in my book (come on, Johnny Depp from Fear and Loathing is a costume!), then it's not really worth it. Don't get me wrong, I love Bomberman... but you have to see me point.

I found out how to unlock the Mii function today. You must go under user information and it should unlock. If not go deeper into the user information section. Appearently it does not take long to unlock the Miis because I got this game yesterday.

Not quite. Miis are unlocked by playing each stage in offline (and you cannot pick the "random" stage). Once you do that, you should get a message, and then you can configure your Mii in the user information, like gameking23 mentioned.

As a party game between friends gives a lot of fun.As a single game could be boring when you learn how the computer controlled players play.Multiplayer online is good until the connection starts to fail.

i just bought this game last week, and it doesn't seem like theres that many people playing it online anymore. whenever i play, i always get buddied up with the same group of players (plus or minus a player or two), and there was someone with like 2 million points pwning everyone else whenever i played. i think theres maybe a dozen or so people playing the game online at a time, so it's kinda weird.

of course, this is coming from a person whose only online game he's played much was mario kart wii, and you NEVER EVER play the same person twice on there.

Always been a fan of the bomberman series. And this one surely brings back the old memories with my friends. This version delivers some great new features. Controls are super easy, still unsure about new items. The Graphics are very pleasantly enough. I just wish that it had more levels, but variety in game type is nice. More than the classic battle mode. Online feature is nice, now I can battle with others at anytime. I think this is the best download games for me ^^

You don't want to mess with the Bomberman formula too much, and luckily Hudson hasn't here. This offering doesn't innovate but it's got that classic, addictive quality we've been enjoying since Super Bomberman on the SNES. Blast is, to surrender to an easy pun, a blast to play. With only a few interface hiccups, it's easy to get into online matches with everything running smoothly. The vast amount of game options should keep your bombing runs going all night. A good deal at ten bucks, this is a download Bomberman fans will want to make room for.